First rebuilding steps: Rashid Latif likely skipper

LAHORE - The inevitable first tentative steps towards rebuilding a Pakistan team for future encounters are likely to be taken within a day or two. The PCB chairman, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia called over the selection committee headed by Wasim Bari on Wednesday to put its collective heads together and name a squad of 20 going forward, starting with a three-nation event at Sharjah from April 1.

The squad is likely to be announced on Thursday.

Not yet having recovered from the World Cup trauma, which came close on the heels of about eight months of under-performance and under-achievement, was the so-called last straw on the camel's back. The selectors are neither under any obligation nor under any public pressure to retain the non-performing stalwarts.

Hence, their sacking is imminent. Most of these veterans - Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and probably Saqlain Mushtaq as well - have not just been disappointing in the 2003 World Cup. Before the global event, other than skipper Younis these super stars were mostly picking and choosing tours they wanted to take part in and matches they wanted to play at will, making the selection process and team-building that much more difficult.

It was about time they paid for their shenanigans. And with the PCB in an unforgiving mood, some of them would definitely be dumped for good while the others still not past their 'shelf-life' date, may eventually get another opportunity. But, a source in the Board revealed, it would not come any time soon. For the moment, the total concentration is on rebuilding the team with the door firmly shut on those who were more interested in politicking than performing.

Having already retracted his post-World Cup retirement plans, Rashid Latif, however, is likely to be an exception. He may not just survive the axe, but is also the frontrunner for captaincy. Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan, the two candidates previously under active consideration for the job, are thought to be too raw and under-prepared to take on the onerous responsibility. Since the two youngsters did not fit the bill, informed a source, it was considered prudent to go for an 'untainted' senior.

That is where Rashid came into the frame for another stint as skipper, though the arrangement is at best likely to be short term.

A squad of 20 for the moment is not a bad idea, provided the selectors have their preferences for the eleven and the 16 sorted out. This can only be done if the selectors have done their home work and thought out the combinations in their entirety. Otherwise, it would mostly be left at the mercy of tour selection committee to make the eleven. And in recent times we have seen some diabolically whimsical selections on tour, which kept the team unduly unsettled.

The good thing is that the new outfit would initially cut its teeth on low-bounce wickets at Sharjah (in April, against Sri Lanka and South Africa) and Sri Lanka (in May, against hosts and New Zealand) before going to England for a three-match bilateral series.

Of the likely discards, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar are the two who still surely have some cricket left in them. But Inzamam (with a dubious world record of 35 run outs, and only 19 in six outings in the World Cup) badly needs a break to rediscover his touch and get into the right frame of mind to be of use again, while Akhtar must only be played on form and not just fitness. He also needs to reform himself big time and pledge to focus on nothing but cricket while on tour.

Can a Pakistan team consisting of an overdose of young cubs still make its presence felt in short order? It would be difficult, but not impossible, but the Board and the fans should keep faith even in case of a string of reverses. After all, with the primadonnas around, the results were no different anyway.